The ‘asset’ Antoine Dupont gained in sevens that steered Toulouse to Champions Cup glory
Toulouse captain Antoine Dupont celebrates with Peato Mauvaka and Alexandre Roumat after the Investec Champions Cup Final between Leinster and Stade Toulousain.
Toulouse captain Antoine Dupont credits sevens for his success at the breakdown in the Investec Champions Cup final victory over Leinster.
The world-class scrum-half was crowned Player of the Match after delivering a stunning performance in the 31-22 win over Leinster after extra-time in London.
The 27-year-old’s mighty performance included two brilliant 50:22s, over 50 running metres and four offloads.
Antoine Dupont’s breakdown masterclass
His masterclass kicking and attacking prowess is stock standard for Dupont, but the brilliant number nine shone in a surprising facet of the game, winning an impressive four turnovers for Toulouse.
One of those turnovers included an outstanding chase-down tackle and jackal on Dan Sheehan after the Leinster hooker stole the ball off the scrum-half and sped away before being tackled a few metres short of the try line.
Four turnovers in one match are the kind of numbers that a classy openside flanker would be proud of, with Jack Willis also impressive in that facet of the game-winning two himself.
Speaking after the final, Dupont explained that his stint with the France 7s team has helped him improve that area of the game.
“There were some opportunities during the game [to jackal] and playing in the sevens, the rucks are really important to the contest,” he said.
“It’s something that I’ve worked on in the sevens and I’ve worked a bit more on that and it’s an asset I’ve gained from the sevens.
“But I’m not going to talk too much about the sevens as Ugo [Mola] is not going to be happy about it!”
Leinster v Toulouse: Five takeaways from Champions Cup final as ‘superhuman’ Antoine Dupont stars
Toulouse boss Mola hailed his captain’s ability at the breakdown and their importance: “They were really precious turnovers near our line. In this defensive aspect, we wanted to be really intense.”
The French giants were outstanding at the rucks throughout the game, with Mola’s side winning 19 turnovers, 11 more than Leinster.
Return to sevens
After clinching Toulouse’s sixth Champions Cup title, Dupont is set to return to the France sevens team as soon as Monday.
While his Toulouse teammates will clash with La Rochelle in the Top 14 next week, Dupont will be pulling on the Les Bleus jersey in the Madrid SVNS as they ramp up their preparations for the Olympic Games.
